# Email Assistant ### Overview {% embed url="" %} Custom categories help your AI email assistant automatically organize and process incoming emails based on your organization's specific needs. As a workspace admin, you can create up to 15 custom categories that will automatically classify emails and trigger appropriate actions. ### Accessing Category Settings 1. Navigate to **Settings >** [**Inbox Categories**](https://app.getcustomeriq.com/settings/inbox-categories) 2. This section is only accessible to workspace administrators ### Category Types You have three options for setting up categories: * **Custom Categories**: Create categories tailored to your specific business needs * **Default Categories**: Use pre-built general categories * **Vertical-Specific Packs**: Choose from industry-specific category sets ### Creating Custom Categories
#### Adding a New Category 1. Click **"New Category"** in the Inbox Categories section 2. Enter a **Category Name** (this cannot be changed later) 3. Write a detailed **Category Description** that explains what types of emails should be classified here 4. Save the category #### Writing Effective Category Descriptions The AI uses your category description to determine which emails belong in each category. Make your descriptions: * **Specific and detailed** - Include what should be included in this category, making sure it doesn't conflict with other existing categories. * **Clear about intent** - Explain the purpose or nature of emails in this category. **Example:** * Category Name: "Quotes" * Description: "Emails where a client, prospect, or referral is requesting a new quote or coverage. Always prioritize over Referrals or General Info." ### Managing Categories #### Editing Categories * **Category descriptions can be updated** at any time to improve AI accuracy * **Category names cannot be changed** once created * To change a category name, you must delete the old category and create a new one #### Deleting Categories * Deleted categories will no longer be used by the AI for new emails * Previously categorized emails will retain their category labels in the inbox * Consider the impact on reporting and CRM data before deleting #### Category Limits * Maximum of **15 categories** per workspace * Plan your category structure carefully given this limit ### Category Settings & Actions #### Workspace-Level Settings (Admin) For each category, you can configure: **CustomerIQ Logging** * Choose whether emails in this category should be logged as submissions for AI analysis * Logged submissions are visible to all workspace members * Enable this for categories that provide valuable customer insights **CRM Integration** * If you have a CRM connected via Apps & Integrations, logged categories will sync according to your CRM settings * Configure CRM field mappings in the Apps & Integrations section #### User-Level Settings Individual users can configure: **Auto-Reply Drafting** * Users can enable/disable AI reply drafting for each category * This allows team members to customize which types of emails get automated response suggestions * Access this in individual user settings ### Best Practices #### Category Strategy 1. **Start broad, then refine** - Begin with general categories and narrow descriptions based on AI performance 2. **Avoid overlap** - Make categories mutually exclusive to prevent confusion 3. **Test and iterate** - Monitor how well the AI categorizes emails and adjust descriptions accordingly #### Description Optimization 1. **Use specific keywords** your customers actually use 2. **Include context clues** like sender types, urgency indicators, or specific phrases 3. **Update regularly** based on misclassified emails #### Workflow Integration 1. **Plan your logging strategy** - Only log categories that provide business value 2. **Coordinate with CRM setup** - Ensure category data flows properly to your CRM 3. **Train your team** - Make sure users understand how to configure their reply preferences ### Troubleshooting **AI isn't categorizing emails correctly:** * Review and refine category descriptions * Check for overlapping category definitions * Consider if you need additional categories for edge cases **Categories not syncing to CRM:** * Verify CRM connection in Apps & Integrations * Ensure category logging is enabled for those categories * Check CRM field mapping settings **Need to change a category name:** * Create the new category first * Delete the old category * Note: Historical data will retain the old category name ### Technical Notes * Categories are applied as emails arrive in real-time * Each email receives only one category classification * Category changes take effect immediately for new incoming emails * Previously categorized emails are not automatically re-categorized when descriptions change --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://help.getcustomeriq.com/start-guide/workspace-setup-guide/email-assistant.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.